Noor: An ode to chikankari
A national
— pride, then and now
Did you know that Awadh, one of the strongholds of the Mughal empire, is modern-day Lucknow? Lucknow is also the best-known center of chikankari today; so much so that the craft is a ‘geographical indicator’ of the region. Meaning the craftspeople practicing the art over generations have special rights to produce and sell chikankari products.
Two centuries ago, when Noor Jahan (translating to ‘light of the world’) was the reigning queen, chikankari found its roots in her patronage. A gifted embroideress herself, she immortalised chikankari’s Mughal architecture-derived motifs in trellis (or jaali) patterns combined with nature-inspired elements. Persian artisans in Awadh would make these by hand over months, perfecting and teaching the art to their future generations.
An ancient
— heritage continues
Our chikan pieces are made the good old way. Each garment is cut and stitched, then wooden blocks are used to create an outline for the motifs, and finally the embroidery is done on the fabric using pristine white thread. We’ve taken inspiration from traditional chikankari textiles and used the most common forms of stems, flowers, leaves, and buds across the collection
